Chapter Sixty-Five: Seeking Help from the Flower Butterfly

Song Yiqiu lowered her eyes, concealing the coldness in them, and remained silent.

Seeing this, the eldest brother, Song Tianhan, fearing that his father would reveal too much if he continued, quickly changed the subject, speaking casually:

"By the way, Father, isn't the royal autumn hunt coming up soon at the end of the month? Why don't we let Yiqiu and Sangyu come with me this year?"

"Yiqiu is about to inherit the title, so it's only right that he go out and broaden his horizons, and make friends with other noble sons."

Song Yiqiu looked up at him.

Wow, is the sun rising in the west? This is the first time someone has actively involved her in something good.

It seems they have already come up with a plan, and it will be based on the autumn hunt.

Bai Mei whispered nervously from the side:

"Young Miss... I have a bad feeling about this."

Qingzhu also whispered:

The way they exchanged glances made it seem like they had planned it beforehand.

Song Yiqiu understood in her heart, but her face remained calm as she replied:

"Great! Thank you for thinking of me, brother."

The people at the table were visibly relieved to see her agree so readily, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.

"Come on, Yiqiu, eat more of this!"

"Little sister, have a bowl of soup to nourish your body!"

"A family should be harmonious and happy like this!"

...

On the way back, Qingzhu was filled with worry:

“Miss, the autumn hunt is too close to the date of the assassination attempt. I’m really worried that they will make their move then.”

Bai Mei also said:

"Yeah! They usually avoid you like the plague, treating you like a monster. But today they've suddenly changed their tune; they're definitely up to no good!"

Song Yiqiu gazed at the sparse stars in the night sky, her eyes deep and thoughtful.

"The royal autumn hunt is indeed a rare opportunity to get close to members of the royal family. If we can take this opportunity to find out something about Princess Xingrong's birth mother, Consort Zhao, perhaps... we can gain something from it."

She took a deep breath, gestured with her palm towards the starry sky, and smiled.

"The hunting ground is not only a graveyard for prey, but also a trap for the hunter."

...

Three days later, in the courtyard.

Song Yiqiu was holding a thin bamboo stick, instructing Bai Mei on how to practice longsword thrusting.

Qingzhu found it interesting and picked up a thinner bamboo stick, trying to imitate the movements. Although her movements were clumsy, they surprisingly looked somewhat decent.

Bai Mei, sweat beading on her forehead from practicing, stopped her movements, took the handkerchief Qing Zhu handed her to wipe her sweat, and couldn't help but tease Qing Zhu as she looked at her:

"Qingzhu, you know what, you really have to admit! Your gestures actually look pretty convincing at first glance!"

"Perhaps you are one in a million martial arts prodigy, with extraordinary talent. How about it, would you like to become my disciple? Tuition fees are negotiable!"

Upon hearing this, Song Yiqiu gently tapped Bai Mei's forehead with a bamboo stick:

"Stop teasing her. Did you manage to invite the person I asked you to?"

Bai Mei scratched her head and muttered:

"Why do you keep hitting me, Miss? Qingzhu is such a good girl, it's a waste not to tease her more. What if she gets scammed when she goes out in the future?"

Qingzhu smiled and softly defended Baimei:

"No, Miss. Sister Bai Mei was just joking with me, I don't mind."

Song Yiqiu looked at the two of them and shook her head helplessly:

"You two..."

Just then, a very clumsy cuckoo call came from the corner of the courtyard wall.

Song Yiqiu frowned; that sound was too fake.

Bai Mei's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly:

"They're here! Miss, we've brought the person for you!"

A figure nimbly leaped over the courtyard wall and landed lightly.

The visitor was dressed in a light purple brocade robe today, instead of his usual flamboyant red and purple attire. This made him appear less roguish and more like a rare and noble young master.

It was Zhang Heze.

He jumped down, his face beaming with a wide smile, and scurried over to Song Yiqiu, his tone tinged with grievance:

"General Song! You're getting more and more arrogant these days, aren't you? You don't even come to Dousheng Manor to see me on your own initiative, you just send Bai Mei to deliver a message. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry and not come?"

Song Yiqiu twitched her lips and said speechlessly:

"Here you are, aren't you?"

Bai Mei circled around Zhang Heze, marveling at his appearance:

"Lieutenant Zhang, you're dressed quite well today... no, I mean, elegantly and tastefully! Could it be that you've found out Princess Xingrong's preferences and are deliberately catering to her tastes?"

Upon hearing the name of Princess Xingrong, Zhang Heze's expression instantly changed, and he waved his hand with a look of displeasure:

"Don't even mention it! It's been like a ghost lately! That spoiled princess has gone crazy, blocking my way all over the capital!"

"It's made me afraid to even go back to my own Doushengzhuang. I've been staying at friends' houses these days, and I'm practically a homeless person!"

As he spoke, he gave Song Yiqiu a reproachful look, his tone becoming sarcastic:

"General Song, you are being far too cold-hearted! At the last poetry gathering, I was trying to help you out of an awkward situation, which is why I unfortunately got targeted by that flirtatious woman!"

"You don't even try to make it up to them. You're so cold to them; their heart is shattered into eight pieces!"

Seeing his feigned coyness, Qingzhu couldn't help but twitch her lips and silently looked away.

A vein throbbed slightly on Song Yiqiu's forehead.

“...Speak properly.”

Zhang Heze's face changed incredibly quickly; he immediately regained his composure and said with a grin:

"General Song is indeed as extraordinary as ever, so assertive even when asking for favors! I admire your qualities!"

Song Yiqiu was too lazy to banter with him and cut straight to the point, sighing as she asked:

Has my older brother, Song Tianhan, come to see you recently?

Zhang Heze was stunned for a moment, then exaggeratedly said:

"Your good older brother? Didn't you send him to the Ministry of War to become an official? I haven't seen him cockfighting or dog walking for a while. Sigh, I can't sell any of my new batch of Siamese fighting cocks. It's true what they say, a prodigal son returning home is more precious than gold."

His tone was full of teasing.

Song Yiqiu curled her lips in a mocking smile:

"Him? A leopard can't change its spots. He can tolerate it for a while, but I doubt he can tolerate it for more than a few days."

She looked at Zhang Heze.

"Lieutenant Zhang, I've heard that your Dousheng Manor holds an underground auction every three months? Rare antiques, overseas treasures, and even... some things that are not convenient to be seen in the open are all traded there?"

Zhang Heze raised an eyebrow, a playful smile appearing on his face:

"Oh? General Song is interested in this kind of thing? What, looking to find some treasures?"

Song Yiqiu smiled brightly, but did not answer directly.

Looking at her smile, Zhang Heze's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He knew something was wrong and instinctively wanted to back away and run away.

He had only taken half a step back when he bumped into Bai Mei, who had silently blocked his path from behind.

Zhang Heze: "..."